The expression “somatic dysfunction” indicates an altered working of the somatic system components, i.e. bones, joints, myofascial structures and relevant vascular, lymphatic and neurological elements (generally speaking, of any of the elements and structures responsible for support and locomotion). In particular, somatic dysfunctions comprise dysfunctional syndromes of the locomotor apparatus.
These dysfunctional pathologies, which are responsible for painful symptoms and functional limitations at the joints, affect an increasing part of world population and have a considerable impact from both a social and an economic point of view. Some examples of the significant incidence and effects of such pathologies onto the social and economic life are given in the following.
According to the US National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), specific chronic diseases of the spinal column are the second most important health problem for workers in agriculture, industry and tertiary sector in the United States. Therefore, said diseases are to be regarded as one of the main health problems when considering both workers' pains and induced economic and social costs in terms for instance of absences for illness, therapeutic treatments, invalidities, changes of function or job.
As reported by Fordyce (Fordyce W: Back pain, compensation, and public policy. In: Risen J, Solomon L: Prevention and Health Psychology. Hanover, N.H. University Press of New England, 1985, pp. 127-140) in 1985 for the United States, the costs of indemnities due to permanent inability caused by lumbosacral column pathologies rose by 2700% in the period from 1956 to 1976. At present, the workers affected by chronic lumbago take up about 65-70% of the costs for indemnities, even if they represent only 10% of the whole working population. A similar trend was reported by Nachemson (Nachemson AL, Lindh M: Measurement of abdominal and back muscle strength with and without back pain. Scand J Reabil Med 1: pp. 60-63) for Sweden, where the costs for indemnities rose by 6000% from 1952 to 1987.
Consequently, the availability of affordable methods for the identification of the pathogenesis (i.e. for the etiologic diagnosis) of said dysfunctional pathologies and their therapeutic treatment is fundamental for both providing a relief to patient's pains and putting a curb on indemnity expenses.
Up to now, the pathogenesis of somatic dysfunctions has been generally ascribed to direct or indirect traumas of the locomotor apparatus. This approach is based on the assumption that striated muscles are able to provide the organism with both an anti-gravitational tonic function and a dynamic function at the same time. In fact, it is a general opinion that a striated muscle comprises a deep tonic component represented by myoglobin-rich red fibers and a superficial dynamic component represented by white fibers.
Following such a physiologic interpretation, the prior art diagnostic criteria for somatic dysfunctions are based on the evaluation of: (a) possible asymmetries of structural and functional parts of the musculoskeletal system; (b) mobility range of joints or musculoskeletal zones; and (c) texture of the soft tissues of the musculoskeletal system, assessed through observation and palpation tests.
Moreover, always as a consequence of said physiologic interpretation, the therapeutic treatment of somatic dysfunctions is commonly based on pharmaceutical actions mainly directed to the musculoskeletal system. In particular, anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs are usually prescribed.
The present invention stems from the original consideration that the prior art approach exposed above presents some inconsistencies in its physiologic basis and that, consequently, the pathogenesis diagnostic criteria and the associated therapeutic treatment may have a questionable effectiveness when applied to a patient affected by somatic dysfunctions. In fact, pharmaceutical treatments are not successful in several cases and consequently the patient's pain may progressively become a chronic disease affecting wide and multi-district parts of his/her body.
The aforementioned physiologic inconsistencies detected by the Inventor are discussed in the following.
Biped and orthostatic posture of a human being is not to be regarded as a “static” and passive function, but on the contrary it results from the activation of an anti-gravitational function of the organism which is performed by a specific and specialized tissue and/or apparatus. Evidently, such a tissue and/or apparatus must be able to continuously comply with said indispensable anti-gravitational function twenty-four hours a day and therefore it requires an anaerobic metabolism without presenting metabolic acidosis and tiredness.
Moreover, the tissue and/or apparatus responsible for the anti-gravitational function must operate against shortening due to gravity force acting on the whole organism. It must also work in an automatic and involuntary manner.
Striated muscles—to which the prior art approach attributes the just mentioned anti-gravitational function—are not provided with such physical and metabolic features, neither in red fibers nor in white fibers. In fact, the activation of muscular functions consists in contraction and shortening of muscular fibers. Consequently, muscles cannot effectively contrast gravity force, since the activation of the tonic system constituted by muscular red fibers acts in the same direction of the gravity force itself.
These original observations and considerations developed by the Inventor evidence that the prior art physiologic basis of diagnosis and therapeutic treatment of somatic dysfunctions is not fully founded and that such methods need to be revised and improved in order to reach a higher diagnosis and therapeutic effectiveness.